Sepsis Awareness Month

30,000,000 people are affected every year, with over 6 million cases of neonatal and early childhood sepsis, and over 100,000 cases of maternal sepsis.

Sepsis has dramatically increased by an annual rate of 8-13% over the past decade and now claims more lives than bowel and breast cancer combined. The reasons for this are diverse. One is the development of drug-resistant and more virulent varieties of pathogens. Another is the aging society and – in the developing world – malnutrition, poverty, lack of access to vaccines. Sepsis is not universally seen as a medical emergency, in part due to low awareness among health professionals and the public. Sepsis care is currently haphazard. All these factors contribute to potentially avoidable deaths.

_ The mobilization of stakeholders will ensure that strategies to prevent and control the impact of sepsis around the world targets those who are most in need.

_ Implementation of international sepsis guidelines will have enabled earlier recognition and more effective treatment of sepsis. Adequate prevention and therapy programs are now available to people around the world.

_ Sepsis will have been placed on the development agenda. Heightened awareness, coupled with political support and drive, will have established sepsis as a priority for clinical improvement.

_ The incidence of sepsis will have decreased by at least 20% thanks to the promotion of good general hygiene practices: proper hand hygiene, clean deliveries, better sanitation and nutrition, clean water supplies, and vaccination programs for populations at risk.

2.) Sepsis survival is on the rise around the world – for adults, children, and newborns.

_ If sepsis is recognized and treated within the first hour, the chance of survival is over 80%. Effective early recognition and treatment systems will be widespread, increasing survival significantly.

_ The survival rates for children, newborns, and adults aff licted by sepsis will have improved by 10% over their 2012 levels. This is monitored and documented by sepsis registries, and will have built upon the improvements seen following the launch of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign and the International Pediatric Sepsis Initiative.

_ In accordance with international consensus guidelines, all countries will be monitoring the time it takes for sepsis patients to receive the most important basic interventions: antimicrobi-als, and intravenous fluids.

3.) People everywhere will have improved access to appropriate rehabilitation services.

By 2020, all member countries will have allocated resources and established standards for the provision of follow-up care for sepsis survivors following their discharge from hospital.

4.) Public and professional understanding and awareness of sepsis will have risen.

_ In 2020, sepsis will have become a household word, and is synonymous with the need for emergency intervention. Lay people will understand the early warning signs of sepsis. Families’ expectations of healthcare delivery will have risen, so that delays will now be routinely questioned.

_ Sufficient treatment and rehabilitation facilities with well-trained staff will be available for the acute and long-term care of sepsis patients.

_ The learning needs for sepsis among health professionals will have been established. This will have ensured the inclusion of training on sepsis as a medical emergency in all relevant undergraduate and post-graduate curricula.

5.) The measurement of the global burden of sepsis and the positive impact of sepsis control and management interventions will have improved.